Schools win climate change competition

More than 200 children from North Yorkshire have shown overwhelming support for preventing and raising awareness of climate change.

Along with 36 teachers, these children attended a Schools’ Climate Change conference held recently at Thirsk Racecourse and organisers were bowled over by their enthusiasm.

The conference, organised by Neil Jameson, the York and North Yorkshire Schools’ Climate Change Officer, was the culmination of a competition for pupils to come up with ideas for their school or community Mowbray School, Settle won the top award of £1,500 for a small wind turbine to power their outdoor classroom and thereby reduce their carbon footprint.

Bedale High School won £750 to create an allotment and grow their own food and Swainby and Potto Primary School won £750 to create a community mosaic on the theme of climate change to raise the awareness in their local community of the need to do something.

Neil Jameson, the York and North Yorkshire Schools’ Climate Change Officer, who is based at Harrogate Borough Council said: “Pupils were challenged to come up with practical projects that will help raise the awareness of climate change and reduce carbon emissions in their school or community.

“It is great that with the support of the Co-operative Membership we were able to reward pupils with funding to enable their ideas to become reality. It is the next generation that is going to have to bear the bunt of the worsening weather conditions and so being able to help them to do something positive in tackling climate change is a good thing.

The children really were amazing. In fact they told us that the worst thing about the day was having to go home!”

All councils in the county are supporting the Schools’ Climate Change programme funded through the Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnership and sponsored by the Co-operative Membership and Image Playgrounds.

A recent study has found that schools within North Yorkshire are contributing 70 per cent of the county council’s C02 emissions. With the introduction of the Government’s Carbon Reduction Commitment, county councils will now have to purchase allowances to cover the CO2 produced in schools.

So the more carbon emissions they reduce the less costly it will be for them.